Gemma R. Galeoto
Partner
Gemma R. Galeoto
+1.214.964.9422
Overview
Gemma R. Galeoto is a trial attorney in Holland & Knight's Dallas office and is licensed in four states. With more than a decade of first-chair trial and arbitration experience, Ms. Galeoto focuses her practice on complex business issues involving myriad sectors, including private equity funds and financial institution litigation, breach of contract claims and trade secret disputes. She has tried dozens of jury and bench trials and arbitrations, and is an excellent advocate in and out of the courtroom.
Ms. Galeoto is tenacious, using collaborative and comprehensive approaches to solve problems for her business clients efficiently and effectively. A true counselor, Ms. Galeoto's peers and community have repeatedly recognized her as a D Magazine "Best Lawyer Under 40," and she is named by Texas Super Lawyers magazine to the Up-and-Coming 50 Women and Up-and-Coming 100 Rising Stars.
Representative Experience
- Successfully represented a national bank in recovery of $26 million for a breach of a commercial guaranty
- Successfully represented an Immigration Investor Program (EB-5) lender in defeating fraud and misrepresentation allegations, obtaining full dismissal of claims alleging millions of dollars in damages through summary judgment
- Obtained complete victory, including a temporary injunction win and large mediation award, for an energy services private equity client in a dispute involving a multimillion dollar breach of an asset purchase agreement
- Obtained successful pre-trial resolution of a multimillion-dollar private equity dispute
- Overturned a more than $800,000 default judgment against a national financial institution
- Negotiated the reversal of a default judgment against a national financial institution with no costly motion practice
- Obtained a large default judgment for a nontraditional lender against a delinquent entity
- Successful representation of nontraditional lenders in merchant disputes
- Significant successful experience representing private equity firms and financial institutions/banks in breach of contract litigation
- More than a decade of experience representing financial institutions in lender liability and intercreditor disputes, including Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Consumer Protection Act (DTPA) claims
- Obtained complete relief for title loan lenders in multiple bench trials involving breach of contract disputes
- Lead counsel for a week-long arbitration dispute involving a multimillion-dollar director dispute against a publicly traded company
- Lead counsel for a managed care organization (MCO) in a multimillion-dollar trade secret dispute, obtaining favorable pre-trial resolution for clients
- Obtained a temporary injunction win and complete victory for an employer involving non-compete and misappropriation of trade secret claims against a former employee
- Lead counsel for a telemedicine provider in litigation involving a multimillion-dollar breach of contract and theft of intellectual property with a discount plan organization
- Obtained a temporary injunction win in favor of an environmental energy services company against another company and former employee for multimillion-dollar violations of a non-solicitation agreement
- Obtained victory for a large energy turbine manufacturer in a successful multimillion-dollar litigation under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA)
- Counsel for an MCO in multiple arbitration proceedings defending against allegations of underpayment in Medicare, Medicaid and commercial market claims
- Appellate counsel in oral argument representing an MCO with regard to Texas Citizens Participation Act (Anti-SLAPP) claims
- Obtained dismissal of multiple claims against business entities under the Texas Anti-SLAPP statute
- Defeated Rule 202 pre-suit discovery requests against a business client
- Defended multiple business clients in various non-party subpoena duces tecum requests
- Successfully represented energy brokerage entities in multiple Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) claims
- Obtained a contested temporary restraining order in a case against a business seller accused of violating company asset purchase agreement
- Settled multiple disputes regarding breach of non-compete agreements, breach of non-solicitation and trade secret disputes
- Obtained complete relief for a franchise owner in a case involving substantial personal sanctions
- Successfully defended multiple franchises in litigation involving lease disputes
- Lead counsel in multiple successful cases involving claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of guaranty agreements, breach of non-solicitation agreements, breach of asset purchase agreements and other breaches of contract
Credentials
Education
- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, J.D., cum laude
- Southern Illinois University, B.A., summa cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
- California
- Florida
- Texas
- Washington
Court Admissions
- All State Courts in Texas
- All State Courts in California
- All State Courts in Florida
- All State Courts in Washington
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Memberships
- Texas Humane Network, Board of Directors, 2023-Present
- The Barking Project, Board of Directors, 2024-Present
- Holland & Knight Texas PAC Committee
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow, 2019-2023
- Dallas Winds Orchestra, Board of Trustees, 2019-2022; Assistant Secretary, 2020-2022
- Prism Health North Texas, Board of Directors, 2017-2018
- Dallas Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), 2016-2020
- Dallas Bar Association, WE LEAD Leadership Class, 2019; Bench Bar Committee, Co-Vice Chair; 2019; Judiciary Committee, 2019
- Genesis Alliance: Women's Shelter & Support, Board of Directors, 2019
- Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Board of Directors, 2014; Leadership Class, Steering Committee Member, 2013; Foundation, Life Fellow; Older Wiser Lawyers (OWL) Committee Co-Chair, 2018; Animal Welfare Committee Member, 2012-2020
- Dallas Women Lawyers Association, Women's Circle Committee Member and Mentor, 2017-2019
- Women in the Law Council, State Bar of Texas Women in the Law Section, 2018
- Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court, Former Associate
- Junior League of Dallas, Alumna
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers Under 40, D Magazine, Business & Commercial Litigation, 2018-2024
- Up-and-Coming 50: Women Texas Rising Stars, Texas Super Lawyers magazine
- Up-and-Coming 100: Texas Rising Stars
- Rising Star, Texas Super Lawyers magazine, 2014-2024
- The Order of the Barristers
- Fred C. Moss Outstanding Graduating Advocate of the Year
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2020